EV travels 1,000 miles on a single charge

Recent advancements in electric vehicle battery technology are showing that the “range anxiety” that still keeps many consumers from investing in an EV may be on its way out.

Add to that list the German-built electric car that recently traveled more than one thousand miles on a single charge, besting the previous EV distance record of 623 miles.

The car, named the Schluckspecht - meaning, roughly, ‘heavy drinker’ - features a lightweight chassis with space-saving features including two in-wheel hub motors and 14 lithium-cobalt battery packs.

Developed by a joint partnership between Pforzheim University, the Fraunhofer Institut EMI and the University of Offenberg, it took four drivers 36 hours and 12 minutes to complete the 1,013-mile demonstration.

The Schluckspecht’s developers have been working on the car for the last 14 years. The test run, carried out at a leisurely speed (1013 miles in 2172 minutes averages less than 30 miles per hour) was held at Bosch’s track in Boxberg.

But despite the car’s customized features and slow driving speed, the car and its technology may be an indication that consumer electric cars may soon boast significant distances per battery charge.

If that helps to convince prospective buyers that EVs are good for more than short-distance travel, that’s good news for the planet.